Promising SXSW Panel Proposals

In the past few years, interesting conversations about new media and innovation have taken place at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival. Voting for the panels to be featured in 2010 is taking place until September 4 -- here are a few proposals that we think will yield interesting discussions:

A panel titled "Reading ReInvented: Can You Steal this Book?" organized by Jason Schultz at the UC Berkeley School of Law seeks greater clarity on the future of the book -- a topic in serious need of attention from the smart and creative in light of Amazon's remote deletions on the Kindle, concerns with Google Book Search, and more. The panel proposal includes some interesting, open-ended questions, including "Who owns what we read?" and "What will libraries look like?"

For independent filmmakers -- particularly remixers -- there appear to be a number of fun and informative panels on fair use and free speech. For the interactive branch of SXSW, "The Parody Home Companion: DIY Fair Use Determinations" features a panel of experts that will screen submitted clips, rate their adherence to the Code of Best Practices for Fair Use, and discuss tips for incorporating others' media into a video. On the business/distribution end, there's an interesting SXSW Film panel proposed by Patricia Aufderheide at the Center for Social Media titled "Remix Goes Mainstream: Making Mashups Pay." The panel seeks to cover all aspects of mixed-video art, and how to "make money, get distribution and stay legal." Both panels address DMCA takedowns and seem likely to consider other important angles as well: copyright, licensing and permission, DMCA anticircumvention rules, and more.

Folks innovating in startups should consider "Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Business," organized by Nicole Ozer at the ACLU of Northern California. The panel seeks to offer an experienced perspective on the privacy and free speech issues that may lie hidden until a lawsuit, user revolt, or government inquiry comes crashing down on a growing business.

We also asked for people's favorite panel proposals on Twitter -- so here are some other honorable mentions:

Related Updates

The U.S. Senate is about to vote on a bill that would be disastrous for online speech and communities. The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA, H.R. 1865) might sound appealing, but it would do nothing to fight sex traffickers. What it would do...

People in marginalized communities who are targets of persecution and violence—from the Rohingya in Burma to Native Americans in North Dakota—are using social media to tell their stories, but finding that their voices are being silenced online. This is the tragic and unjust consequence of content moderation policies...

It’s no secret: Social media has changed the way that we access news. According to the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of Americans report getting at least some of their news on social media. Another study suggests that globally, for those under 45, online news is now as important...

In a victory for journalism and fair use, Playboy Entertainment has given up on its lawsuit against Happy Mutants, LLC, the company behind Boing Boing. Earlier this month, a federal court dismissed Playboy’s claims but gave Playboy permission to try again with a new complaint, if it...

More than 15 state legislatures are considering the “Human Trafficking Prevention Act” (HTPA). But don’t let the name fool you: this bill would do nothing to address human trafficking. Instead, it would only threaten your free speech and privacy in a misguided attempt to block and tax online pornography...

Frankenstein Bill Combines the Worst of SESTA and FOSTA. Tell Your Representative to Reject New Version of H.R. 1865. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a bill that would force online platforms to censor their users. The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act...

In a win for free expression, a court has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against Happy Mutants, LLC, the company behind acclaimed website Boing Boing. The court ruled [PDF] that Playboy’s complaint—which accused Boing Boing of copyright infringement for linking to a collection of centerfolds—had not sufficiently established...

In a country where press freedom is already under grave threat, the revocation of an independent publication’s license to operate and a proposed amendment to the Bill of Rights are pushing journalists further into the margins. While the Constitution of the Philippines guarantees press freedom and the country’s media landscape...

A huge range of expressive works—including books, documentaries, televisions shows, and songs—depict real people. Should celebrities have a veto right over speech that happens to be about them? A case currently before the California Court of Appeal raises this question. In this case, actor Olivia de Havilland has sued...